FORGIVENESS: Children Of Earth
by Heartsings
Summary: Jack knows he's responsible for the suffering Clement McDonald has endured for the past 40 years. Can he make amends? Can he convince Clement he does care and will Clement be able to forgive him? **Spoilers**
1. The Man

**A/N - Torchwood or any of its characters do not belong to me. This story is for pure enjoyment and not for sale or profit. I sure would like to hear from you. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated.**

It was evening by the time Jack headed back to the new hub. He raced through the streets on his way back to where the remnant of Torchwood waited for him. He was frustrated. Nothing that day had gone as he had hoped.

Clement paced the floor of the hub. "They want to take them, just like before. Like the man did." Suddenly he smelled something in the air that sent a warning voice in his head to insulate him from the danger that was coming.

"He's coming back! He's coming back!" Clement chanted in terror. He pointed toward the door. "He's coming! He's coming! He's coming! He's coming!"

Gwen went to Clement to try and console him. Clement could smell the man coming closer. As the man approached Clement held his breath and clung to his newfound friend for dear life.

Finally Jack came into the light. Clement gasped. The man hadn't changed. He still looked exactly as he had in 1965.

"He hasn't changed," Clement said to Gwen. "He's the same…he's the same! All those years? How can he be the same? How? How? How?"

Gwen was confused. "Sssshhhh, it's all right," she told Clement. She looked at Jack and asked. "What's he talking about, Jack?"

"Clement McDonald," Jack said.

Clement cringed at the sound of his name coming from the lips of the man.

"It was easier if we didn't know their names."

"What? Are you saying you were there, in 1965?" Gwen asked.

"He was the man," Clement whispered as he gripped Gwen tightly. "He was the man that took us to them."

"No, you're wrong, Clem. What he does is he fights them," Gwen told Clement. "Isn't that right, Jack?"

"No," Jack said flatly.

"What are you saying?"

"I…

"Are you telling me you were there? What were you doing there, Jack?"

Jack hesitated before he answered. "I gave them the kids."

Rhys closed his eyes and lowered his head as Ianto looked at Jack in shock.

"You did what?" Gwen asked in disbelief.

"In 1965 I gave them twelve kids. I gave them twelve children…as a gift."

Clement was wracked with tics as images of that horrible night assailed his mind.

"I'm sorry," Jack said as he moved toward Clement. "I'm really sorry."

Without warning Clement grabbed Gwen's gun and fired. The bullet ripped into Jack's body sending him crashing to the floor. Ianto rushed to Jack and held him in his arms.

"Give me the gun, Clem!" Gwen said.

"You stay away from me!" Clement warned. "You're on his side and he's on their side! You're all involved! You're the same as him!"

"No, we're not Clem. We're on your side." Gwen said. She moved toward Clement as he dangerously waved the gun around.

"Leave him alone, Gwen! Don't' you see he's dangerous?" Rhys pleaded with his wife.

"I'm not dangerous! I'm not! I'M NOT!" Clement shouted pointing the gun at Rhys.

Gwen stood between them. "We know you're not, Clem. We know that."

Clement could smell the lie. "But that's a lie, isn't it? Isn't it? I've just killed a man. I am dangerous," he said as the fight in him melted away.

"Give me the gun, Clem," Gwen said softly. She reached out to the broken man and took the gun from his hand.

Clement began to cry and buried his face in Gwen's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It wasn't my fault. He was a bad man. He took me and my friends to them."

"It's all right. Everything's going to be all right," Gwen said as she patted Clement gently on the back.

Suddenly Jack gasped for air. Clement's eyes widened in shock and he let out a yelp. He tried to pull away from Gwen.

Gwen smiled and tried to calm the frightened man. "It's all right, Clem. He does this all the time."

"NO! NO!" Clement screamed. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" He broke away from Gwen and ran off.

Ianto helped Jack sit up. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jack said as he stood.

"Can I get you anything?" Ianto asked.

"No thanks."

Jack raised his hand to stop Ianto from asking another question. "I said I'm fine."

Ianto couldn't find any other words to say. He returned to his seat and the laptop.

Jack glanced at Rhys and saw the look of disappointment on his face. Jack lowered his eyes and waited for Gwen and Clement to return.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Why?

Jack peered over Ianto's shoulder as he typed something into the laptop. After awhile Ianto looked up and noticed Jack looking at Clement who sat on the couch enjoying a freshly cooked hot dog.

"Why don't you try talking to him," Ianto suggested.

"And say what? Sorry you spent most of your life in mental institutions but what I did to you was for the greater good?" Jack said sarcastically.

"You can't change his past," Ianto said, "but you can help him now."

"And how do I do that?"

"You can start by talking to him. Explain what happened and why you did it. You owe him that much."

"It's my fault, Ianto. He's suffered for over forty years because of me. And besides he's terrified of me. He won't listen to a word I say. For all he knows I could just be telling him another lie, like I did that night."

"He'll know you're telling the truth."

"Yeah, how?"

"You don't know about his hypersensitive sense of smell? He knows things just by smelling."

"I've heard of that, something about a person can tell things by means of smelling."

"That's it then because he smelled me and called me a queer."

Jack chuckled. "He did what?"

"He smelled me and knew I was gay. And he smelled Gwen and knew she was three weeks pregnant."

Jack raised his eyebrows impressed by Clement's ability. He looked over at Clement once again. His heart sank as he remembered how he had frightened the poor man half to death earlier that night.

Jack knew the trauma Clement had experienced in 1965 had left him scarred for life. His tormented mind was still trapped in the '60s. Clement's body had aged but emotionally he was still an innocent child, reacting to things around him like a frightened eleven year-old boy. It was because of him that Clement's childhood had been stolen.

And now the ugly truth was out. Jack knew what he had done in 1965 was inexcusable. Ianto was right. He had to explain his actions to Clement. Jack knew he didn't deserve Clement's forgiveness but he had to explain why, why he had done the unforgivable.

Jack sighed heavily and straightened his shoulders. "Okay, I'll give it a try."

Ianto nodded and continued typing into the laptop.

The Captain walked over to Clement who began to squirm in his seat as soon as the man approached. Clement nearly jumped out of his skin when Jack sat beside him.

"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" Jack asked.

Terror seized Clement's heart! He couldn't breathe! He looked around for Gwen. Where was she? Clement began to cower and whimper as Jack reached out to touch him.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you," Jack said softly.

Clement closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously. Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. He was wracked again with tics. Why was the man speaking to him? What did he want from him? Clement found he couldn't catch his breath! He had to get away! He dropped his food and bolted away from Jack. Clement then rushed to the wall of the hub and pressed his body against the cold concrete.

Gwen saw what happened and rushed toward Clement. Jack put his hand up to stop her.

"Let me handle this."

"He's terrified of you, Jack," Gwen said forcefully. "What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to him. That's all. I won't hurt him."

Gwen was unsure of what to do and looked over at Rhys who stood cooking at the portable burner. Her husband gave her a nod and put his hand out to her. She looked at Jack and then at Clement.

"Make things right, Jack."

"That's what I'm trying to do. Trust me," the Captain said.

Gwen wanted to protect Clement from any more pain. She thought about it for a moment and decided to let Jack handle the situation as he had asked. She joined Rhys as Jack moved toward the terrified older man. Clement continued to whimper as Jack approached.

"Clement, please look at me," Jack said.

"NO!" Clement squealed. "Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"I know I can't change what I did to you. All I can say is…I'm so sorry for what I did….what I did to you and your friends. I'm really sorry."

"You're in every nightmare I've ever had! I dream about you and them almost every night. I'm always scared. I don't know what it's like not to be scared," Clement said as tears streamed down his face.

Clement's words ripped into Jack's heart. It was because of him the broken man before him had been in care for over forty years. He had never lived a normal life and had never had a moment's peace. What Clement had gone through since the age of eleven was so unfair. How could he put right something so horrific?

"Clement, please look at me? Please?" Jack pleaded.

Clement pressed further into the wall and brought his hands up to cover the sides of his face. "I won't look. I won't! I won't! I won't!"

"I'm not leaving until you look at me. Please, look at me. Please?"

After a long silence Clement brought his hands down to his sides. It took every ounce of courage for him to look at Jack. He turned around slowly to quickly glance at the tall man standing before him before his eyes found it safer to look at the floor.

"Why, why did you do it?" Clement asked softly.

"I thought I was doing the right thing. If I hadn't done it millions of people would have died. I sacrificed 12 children to save millions of people. Can you understand that?"

"But what you did was wrong."

"I know! I know I was wrong!" Jack's voice raised a notch in his frustration.

Clement backed into the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor with his knees up to his chest. He covered his head as if to protect him from the verbal blows he expected would come. "Stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!"

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. Super Duper

Gwen moved toward the two men to intervene. "I thought you were going to make this right, not scare him to death!" Gwen shouted at Jack.

Jack again stopped her with his hand. "I said I can handle this!"

"Look at him! You call that handling it?" Gwen shot back.

"Gwen," Rhys said gently. "Come here and let them be."

Gwen opened her mouth to protest and thought better of it. She went back to Rhys' side. Jack looked over at Ianto for support and he gestured for Jack to proceed gently.

Jack sighed and crouched. "Clement, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. I'm not angry with you. I'm angry at myself. Please don't shut me out. You're right. What I did was very wrong and I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm so sorry for what I did to your friends. I can't change the past, but if you let me, I'll do everything I can to help you now."

Clement's body relaxed some. He raised his eyes to Jack's face. He then smelled the immortal and a look of surprise crossed his face. "You're telling the truth."

Jack smiled. "Yes, I am."

"There's something different about you," Clement said in a whisper. "You care."

"Yes, I do. I do care, Clement."

"You didn't before, when you took us to them. I could smell it."

Jack closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "You're right. I didn't care back then. Do you know that's why they asked me to take the children? Because I didn't give a damn. But I've changed."

Clement smelled Jack again and nodded. Jack was telling him the truth.

"You've had a miserable life because of me. I know it's a lot to ask of you, Clement, and I know I don't deserve it, but do you think you can possibly find it in your heart to forgive me?" Jack asked.

Clement lowered his eyes to the floor again and didn't respond.

Jack pursed his lips and looked away. "I understand."

Clement raised his eyes to Jack once again. "They want to take the children."

"I know," Jack said. "But this time they're not taking any. We won't let them. You can trust me on that, Clement."

Clement smelled Jack and smiled. "Yes, I believe I can."

"I can't change what happened, but I can help to change your future, if you will just let me," Jack said.

Clement smiled thinly and agreed with a quick nod.

Jack's face lit up. "Does that mean you'll consider forgiving me?"

"Yes," Clement said softly.

Jack sat beside Clement and put his hand out to shake hands. Clement recoiled at the gesture.

"Sorry. I guess it's too soon," Jack said as he took his hand back. "Listen, can I ask you a big favor?"

Clement looked confused for a moment then nodded nervously.

"Will you help me? Will you help us fight them?"

"What can I do? I don't know how to do anything," Clement said sadly.

"But you do," Jack said. "You have a very special gift, a very special skill."

"I do?" Clement asked.

"You have a super-duper sense of smell…"

Clement grinned. "Super-duper?"

"That's right. You can tell things just by their smell. You'll be able to help us figure things out and tell us what's going on. You can do this just by using your nose," Jack said.

Clement looked toward Gwen. She smiled at him sweetly.

"So what do you say? Will you help? Will you help us fight those aliens?" Jack asked.

Clement closed his eyes and realized this was the first time anyone had asked him to do anything other than to take his medication. Maybe this was his chance to finally be someone and do something useful. Maybe this was his chance to have friends for the first time in his life and maybe this was his chance to be normal again.

"I would like to," Clement whispered so softly Jack strained to hear him.

"Was that a yes?"

Clement took a breath and nodded timidly.

"Thanks, Clement. I appreciate it. We all do."

"Can I stay here?"

"Of course you can. You'll be safe here with Gwen," Jack said. "And you can stay for as long as you want."

"I'd like that," Clement said smiling.

"Good. Okay, that settles it then. Well, I don't know about you but I'm starving. Are you hungry?" Jack asked.

"I didn't get to finish my hot dog," Clement said.

"I have some more right here," Rhys called out as he placed two hot dogs on a plate. "Want some beans with them?"

"No thank you," Clement said. "They make me, well, you know."

Jack chuckled and called out to Rhys. "I do! I want lots of beans with my dogs. They don't bother me."

Jack stood and put his hand out to help Clement up. The older man looked at Jack's hand with apprehension.

"It's okay. Come on, let's go eat some dogs," Jack said.

Clement smiled nervously and finally allowed Jack to help him to his feet.

Gwen and Jack exchanged looks. Gwen mouthed "Thank you."

Jack smiled and then guided Clement back to the couch to eat his hot dogs.


End file.
